Kory Stamper lays down the law

John E. McIntyreThe Baltimore Sun

At harm-less drudg-ery, the nonpareil Kory Stamper of Merriam-Webster reflects on what wany people want of a dictionary: Authority, Morality, Law-giving, Bet-settling. She contrasts that with what dictionaries humbly offer instead: words and how people use them.

Here's a key sentence:

We enter the words “murder” and “headcheese” into the dictionary, but that shouldn’t be read as advocacy for trying either one of them.